The Typing Coach - Review

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Typing is one of those things I just take for granted. I've been typing for quite some time at a very fast word per minute pace but this isn't something I would know how to teach my children. Thankfully there are programs out there to teach students how to correctly type (instead of the 2 finger poke-at-the-keys typing). We recently had a chance to try out The Typing Coach Online Typing Course from The Typing Coach.

This course is a self-paced, online typing coach that teaches and stresses accuracy. Some typing programs are game-like but this one keeps to learning without all the added bells and whistles. It is very affordable at only $17 for a one year subscription taught by a former typing teacher. The Typing Coach uses a variety of methods to teach correct typing. By combining audio, visual, and printable materials, a student can work through the 7 lessons at a comfortable pace.

It is stressed that the student masters each lesson before moving on to the next lesson as each lesson builds off of the previous one. While a lesson a week is recommended, it really varies by the student how quickly they move on. There is also the ability to use this program with a younger child as the program provides a slower paced guide (the main program is geared for high school through adults). Using this program with younger students will give them the basic foundations to typing to later build onto when they are older.

This program is easy to use as soon as you are logged in. There is a lot of info for the parent or teacher to read before even starting the student out. I found this information was very thorough in explaining exactly how to use Typing Coach. There is even a Teacher Resource which includes in addition to information, an incentive chart, typing tickets & a progress chart.

Before starting, there is a 16 page Student Packet to be printed out as well as an 8 page Learning Checks Packet (which we placed in a 3 ring binder so we wouldn't lose anything). From there, the student takes a "before" screenshot (because when they are done this course they can take an "after" screenshot.

A view of one of the student pages

The next step is learning correct posture (let's face it, most of use probably don't do that!). Then it's time to move on to the first audio lesson. I had my middle schooler try out Typing Coach so we decided to use the slower paced guide.

The teachers explanations of how to position your hands and walking the student through the audio lessons were clear and concise. The student starts off practicing typing what the coach is asking them to. Then they move on to typing what is in the student packet without looking at the screen or their fingers. Since we used a laptop, we simply covered the screen with a piece of paper. The key is to not make ANY mistakes. You can repeat each lesson as many times as needed. He suggests doing it every day during the week. Once each lesson is completed with 100% accuracy, they can move on to the Practice and Testing Center where they take a timed test. Once they complete it perfectly, the student then goes on to the next lesson.

I should add that the practice typing can be done in any type of word processing program. We used Microsoft Word.

Overall, we feel like this is a thorough program and we appreciated that we could work at it at our own pace. We are anxious to see how much my son continues to learn and advance in the coming weeks. There is a lot of great info for such an affordable price for the whole family!

About Me

My name is Jenn & I am a homeschooling mom to 8, beautiful kiddos that God has blessed me with. I started this blog during one of the darkest times of my life when I found out my son was going to die. God has been using our journey for His glory! I continue to write about our everyday life as I try to live out our "new normal". More can be read under Noah's story. Please feel free to contact me if you are facing a fatal prenatal diagnosis, have lost a baby, are supporting someone who has or just need a listening ear and prayer.